Agenda and draft minutes

To receive and note any declarations of disclosable pecuniary or prejudicial or personal interests or lobbying in respect of any matters included on the agenda for consideration at this meeting.

(The personal interests of Councillors and Clerks of Somerset County Council, Town or Parish Councils and other Local Authorities will automatically be recorded in the minutes.)

Additional documents:

Webcast for 132.

Minutes:

Members present at the meeting declared the following personal interests in their capacity as a Councillor or Clerk of a County, Town or Parish Council or any other Local Authority:-

Name	Minute No.	Description of Interest	Reason	Action Taken
Cllr I Aldridge	Item 5 only	Williton	Personal	Spoke and Voted
Cllr S Coles	Item 6	SCC, Taunton Charter Trustee & Shadow Taunton Town	Personal	Spoke and Voted
Cllr r Habgood	3/32/23/004	Chair of ‘on your bike’ receives charity support	Prejudicial	Spoke and left the room whilst the did not vote took place.
Cllr Mrs Hill	All Items	Taunton Charter Trustee & Shadow Taunton Town	Personal	Spoke and Voted
Cllr M Lithgow	All Items	Wellington	Personal	Spoke and Voted
Cllr C Palmer	All Items	Minehead	Personal	Spoke and Voted
Cllr R Tully	All Items	West Monkton	Personal	Spoke and Voted
Cllr T Venner	All Items	Minehead	Personal	Spoke and Voted
Cllr B Weston	All Items	Taunton Charter Trustee & Shadow Taunton Town	Personal	Spoke and Voted
Cllr K Wheatley	All Items	Wellington	Personal	Spoke and Voted
Cllr L Whetlor	All Items	Watchet	Personal	Spoke and Voted
Cllr G Wren	Item 4	SCC & Clerk to Milverton PC	Personal	Spoke and Voted

All Cllrs (except Cllr Palmer) declared that they knew the applicant/landowner for application 3/21/22/128 and 38/22/0344.

133.

Public Participation

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The Chair to advise the Committee of any items on which members of the public have requested to speak and advise those members of the public present of the details of the Council’s public participation scheme.

For those members of the public who have submitted any questions or statements, please note, a three minute time limit applies to each speaker and you will be asked to speak before Councillors debate the issue.

We are now live webcasting most of our committee meetings and you are welcome to view and listen to the discussion. The link to each webcast will be available on the meeting webpage, but you can also access them on the Somerset West and Taunton webcasting website.

Additional documents:

Webcast for 133.

Minutes:

Application No.

Name

Position

Stance

38/22/0344

Cllr Sully

Mr Ven

Councillor who lives in the area.

Agent

In favour

134.

3/32/23/004 - To enter into two supplemental S106 Agreements with EDF Energy. The first is to secure early payment of a £1 million (index linked) instalment of the EDF Energy Community Fund and the second is to secure an appropriate tourism focused mitigation fund and strategy relating to EDF's planned use of the former Pontins site in Brean, to accommodate Hinkley Point C workers. PDF 394 KB

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Additional documents:

Webcast for 134.

Minutes:

Comments from Members included;

(summarised)

· Concerns raised on the regeneration funding spend on major urban regeneration;

· Pleased that this funding is coming forward for the residents of Bridgwater;

· Concerns with the adverse effect on the closing of the Pontins holiday camp;

· Concerns regarding moving funds from one to another;

Councillor Hill proposed, and Councillor Aldridge seconded a motion that Somerset West and Taunton Council, along with Somerset County Council

and Sedgemoor District Council, enter two separate Supplemental S106

Agreement to secure the following:

1.2 The first Section 106 supplemental agreement:

· To secure the early payment of a £1 million (index linked) instalment of

the EDF Community Fund towards regeneration projects in Bridgwater

Town Centre (known as the ‘Bridgwater Regeneration Fund’).

· The mechanism for this is to divert the £1 million pounds currently

required contractually under the s106 agreement to be paid to the

Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) to Sedgemoor District Council

(SDC);

This is to be done by a deletion of the original contractual obligation for early

payment to SCF and replace it with a supplemental section 106 obligation of

payment to SDC for the purposes of the levelling up bid: and

1.3 The second Section 106 supplemental agreement:

· To provide an appropriate mitigation fund and associated measures to

support the local economy during the use of the Pontins Brean Sands

Holiday Park to accommodate workers involved in the construction of the Hinkley Point C Project for an expected 3 year temporary period.

1.4 Delegated Authority

· that delegated authority be given to the Director of Place and Climate

Change and/or Assistant Director Strategic Place Planning to agree,

approve terms and sign on behalf of the Council the supplemental deeds and after 1st April this delegation be extended to the requisite Executive Director at Somerset Council responsible for the function area of this report.

· As a result of the Somerset (Structural Changes) Order 2022, and, the

provisions of the Local Government (Structural Changes) Transitional

Arrangements No 2. Regulations 2008, the decisions of SWT will fall to

be treated as decisions of the new Unitary Council after 1st April 2023.

Accordingly, any issues of implementation in this matter will seamlessly

fall to be dealt with by the new Somerset Council.

The motion was carried

135.

3/21/22/128 - Installation of solar panels on roof and rear balcony at The Arkade, Warren Road, Minehead TA24 5BG PDF 335 KB

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Additional documents:

Webcast for 135.

Minutes:

Comments from Members included;

(summarised)

· Concerns with the visual aspect of the of the panels from the Train Station;

· The solar panels were a major enhancement to the building;

· We need to look at energy sustainability, so these panels were a good way to generate electricity;

· With regards to Condition 5, checks would need to be made to see that the solar panels were still being used after 6 months;

Councillor Lithgow proposed, and Councillor Aldridge seconded a motion that permission be GRANTED subject to Conditions;

The motion was carried.

136.

38/22/0344 - Demolition of outbuilding and erection of a 1 No. detached dwelling at Weir Lodge, Staplegrove Road, Taunton PDF 468 KB

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Additional documents:

Webcast for 136.

Minutes:

Comments by members of the public included;

(summarised)

· The building to be demolished is out of character in a Conservation area;

· The proposed application was a well designed much needed property in the area;

· The development would improve the street scene and be a positive enhancement to the conservation area and the setting of the listed building adjacent;

· This was a zero-carbon home with no impact on the setting of the area;

· The proposed dwelling was not out of keeping with the area;

· The proposed dwelling will reduce the number of connections to the sewer reducing the phosphate loading into the sewer;

· This was a sustainable development;

· No flood risk issues;

· No sequential test concerns;

· No letters of objection to the development received;

Comments by Members included;

(summarised)

· The building to be demolished did not fit in with the Conservation area, so the development would improve the brown field site;

· There was a local housing need in the area;

· No concerns for sustainability with a primary School nearby and it is within walking distance of the town so will not be totally car reliant;

· Pleased that the building would be raised due to the flood zone;

· The phosphate issues could be overcome with a timed Condition;

· This was a brown field site development and should be encouraged;

· The development has significant harm on planning grounds;

· Concerns with the impact on the listed building and Conservation area;

· Concerns with the loss of flood water storage in the area;

· The development was out of keeping in the area;

· The current building needs removing and not replaced;

· Concerns with the overdevelopment of the area;

· Concerns with building in the Conservation area;

· The development was not a good copy of the existing Weir Lodge. A better designed building was needed;

· The development contravened our Policies;

Councillor Lithgow proposed, and Councillor Hill seconded a motion for the application to be APPROVED against the Officer recommendation.

Proposed that delegated authority be given to officers to approve, subject to the resolution of the phosphate issues. Also, delegation to officers to impose suitable conditions for planning permission.

Approval is also on the basis that the planning committee do not feel that there is a harmful impact to the Listed Building or the Conservation area and there is mitigation for the flood zone flooding issue built into the development;

The motion was carried with the Chair using his casting vote.

Agenda and draft minutes

SWT Planning CommitteeThursday, 30th March, 2023 10.30 am

SWT Planning Committee
Thursday, 30th March, 2023 10.30 am